Saving Haiirookami
by RangeroftheNorth11
Summary: This story takes place after the battle of Ron-Koshi but before Will proposes to Alyss. The title will become apparent later in the story, but it will focus on all of the characters that were in "The Emperor of Nihon-Ja." This is my first fic so please review.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: This is my first fic, and it takes place after the battle in** _The Emperor of Nihon-Ja._ **I obviously am not John Flanagan, and do not own any of the rights to any of HIS characters.**

 **I will, however, create some new threats and new characters.**

 **This chapter is mostly just banter because I want to get the interactions down before I get too far ahead of myself. I hope I do alright and give whoever decides to read this a fun time. Here goes nothing…..**

Chapter 1: Trees do the Darndest Things

"How did it come to this?" Will growled to himself. He knew that he could perform much better than he was showing right now. If only he could take the knight.

"Just face it, you haven't been able to beat me yet, and you never will. I'm much more seasoned than you are." Halt said with the smallest trace of a smile touching the end of his mouth.

"That's not how I would put it, but I guess we can say that you're just more 'seasoned' than I am." Will tried desperately to hide the smile that he knew was trying to poke through and show the pride that he had in the timely comeback. Horace however, did not mind laughing at the grim-faced Ranger who was currently schooling his best friend in a rather heated match of chess.

"Oh, is something funny Horace? Or should I say 'Kurokuma'?" Halt shot back with just the right amount of a serious tone that made Horace wonder if he was in any danger from a lightning fast slap to the back of the head. Either way, Horace decided it was best to move a little farther away from the grizzled man. By now, Horace knew that it was better not to mess with Halt about his age. At least, not too much. Horace thought with a laugh to himself.

"It is a term of great respect you know…" chimed Will from a relaxed position on his stump.

"Be quiet over there Chocho, and make your move." Halt said with a lighter tone to show his former apprentice that he meant no harm in the joke.

Will had forgotten that he was still in danger of losing this game. Halt had wreaked havoc with his two knights and taken almost all of his pawns and one of both his knights and bishops. However, Will did have a plan, using his queen he took one of Halt's knights. He had failed to see the trap that had been set by his former mentor and he fell soon thereafter to the old ladder move.

"You still jump into situations too fast, no matter how many times I tell you," Halt began, and Will couldn't help the feeling of being a first year apprentice again when he would tend to break cover right at the end of the stealth trainings and sacrifice cover for speed. He smiled at the thought.

"Come on now children pack up your toys, it's time to move out again." Alyss called from across their camp. Evanlyn snickered at the thought of the three accomplished warriors as children, especially Halt.

The caravan still had a long trek through the country side of Nihon-Ja. Will could feel the beginning chill of fall creep through his cloak, but he loved the look of this foreign land and he loved looking at the tall blonde next to him. The tall, elegant, blonde courier was all he could think about these last couple of weeks. Ever since the fighting stopped, he had been trying to figure out the best way to ask her to marry him. Now, seeing her hair dance in the breeze, and the corners of her mouth turned towards the sky in that disarming smile that she had, he couldn't wait for the perfect opportunity. She would Mrs. Alyss Treaty.

Will was so far into his dream world, that he hadn't noticed a low hanging tree branch that seemed to have its targets set on his forehead. He felt it whip across his head, as it hit with a loud, _CRACK,_ Horace and Evanlyn nearly fell off their horses laughing, Alyss hurried over to Will to see if he was okay, after she figured out that he was, she joined in on the laughter as well. Halt simply held his head in his hand. He saw the whole scene play out and decided that it was best to just let nature run its course… Literally.

"I'm glad you two up there were worried about me!" Will called at Horace and Evanlyn out of embarrassment more than anger.

"They say you Rangers can come straight out of the trunks of those trees, I figured that a little twig wouldn't have caused you too much trouble!" Horace bellowed, going into another fit of laughter. He knew his sides would hurt for more than a few minutes after this.

"Oh whatever…" Will said under his breath as he was now rubbing the rather sizeable lump on his head.

"Halto-san, Chocho, Emperor Shigeru would like to see you." One of the Senshi that guarded the emperor said as he was riding at a rather brisk pace from the back of the caravan. "Kurokuma, you are wanted as well, there is food in a cart next to the emperor." The Senshi added as an afterthought for the warrior whom he knew had a reputation for eating.

"We will be right there." Halt replied with a shallow bow from his saddle.

"I wonder what Emperor Shigeru wants? Do you think there's trouble?" Will asked with an eyebrow raised.

He was answered by a similar raise of the eyebrow from Halt and a snicker from behind him that could only have come from Horace.

"What's so funny Horace?" Will turned in the saddle to get a better look at his best friend.

"That was two questions…." He said before he began to giggle again.

"Damn it all…." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the review! Sorry it took so long to update, I just moved back into my apartment up at school. I should hopefully update more often now. At least, that is the plan. This chapter will be mostly plot related, but it should have some action in it. Thanks again!**

Chapter 2: Underlying Meaning

"Yes Emperor Shigeru?" Halt said calmly when he drew back the fold of the Emperor's tent. Since the Senshi had summoned them, the caravan had decided it was best to rest for the night. The remaining Senshi that had opposed Shigeru and decided to side with Arisaka, had either fled or laid down their weapons and joined the Emperor's caravan.

"Hello, Halto-san. I am afraid that we have a small problem. At the rate we are traveling, we will not be able to reach the palace before winter sets in. We can still navigate the passes during the cold months, but as you know, harsh environments can lead to harsh actions. I have called you here to try and talk through some different 'scenarios' as you say in Araluen." Shigeru said at length, choosing his words very carefully to not instill any pains of uneasiness in his own men. He knew that some of them could become skittish if they were faced with too much adversity.

"I don't think that is too much of a problem Emperor." Will said with a trace of a smile, "Besides, the winters here aren't as harsh as they are in Skandia or northern Araluen are they?" He asked with a slight raise of his eyebrow. Will knew that the Emperor didn't think that his news would make them worry or have any such feelings. Although, Horace may have to be escorted away from the food carts. Will thought with a laugh to himself.

"No Chocho, the winters here are not as harsh. But it is still winter my boy, and I am worried that we may run into more trouble than just our food stores and some chattering jaws…." The Emperor said with a slight inclination in his voice that lead Will and Halt to think that the Emperor knew something that they didn't.

"And what sort of trouble should be preparing for Shigeru?" Halt said forgetting the strict customs of Nihon-Ja society. "Sorry, Emperor." He corrected with a bow to show he meant no offense.

"Oh blah." Shigeru spat with a wave of his hand, "I know you're not trying to disrespect me, Halto-san. You do not need to have such formalities with me, as I have come to know that you do not use them amongst yourself." The Emperor added with a light of amusement in his eyes. He was referring to how Rangers communicated. There was no use of "sir" or any other term like that.

He's a lot more than just a figure head, Will thought. He is always surprising you with his intelligence and ability to pick up on things most people would skip over. Shigeru was truly a remarkable leader. Not for the first time, Will was reminded of Duncan.

"I do not want to say any more on the subject," Shigeru said with a glance to both his left and right at the guards on either side of him. The action told Halt and Will that he didn't want his men to hear what was exactly on his mind. "I simply think we should keep an extra-keen watch and apply more of our people to the purpose of hunting." He said with his calm and cool demeanor returning to him. "… And perhaps you should take Kurokuma with you when you go hunting… It will keep him away from the rice balls!" Shigeru added with a great big belly laugh.

"I was thinking the same thing…" Halt said with a tone of amusement. As he and Will exited the grand tent with respectful bows.

Will and Halt were walking out of the tent as Horace was bent over one of the food carts looking for more of the rice balls that he was so fond of. Will ghosted behind him like an animal who is trying to surprise its prey, and put his mouth right to his ear and said, not to quietly, "What are you doing?"

Horace would have jumped out of his skin had he been able to do so. He hated when the two small men that he called his "friends" did that to him. He hated surprises, and it seemed that he could never escape being on the back end of their jokes. Horace had never heard Will coming.

"Why do you ALWAYS do that to me Will?! You know I hate that. I almost hit you!" Horace yelled due to the shock.

"Well, I'm waiting for you to catch on, one day you'll thank me for doing this to you. When someone who actually means you harm does it, you'll be ready." Will replied calmly. He loved doing that to Horace. The joke never got old.

"So what did the Emperor say? Was it bad news?" Horace asked rapidly finally getting his heart to stop racing. He was answered with only a raised eyebrow from Halt. "Sorry, that was two questions wasn't it?" He said looking at his toes.

"Are you asking me or telling me that was two questions?" Halt said with just the ghost trace of a smile on his face.

"Oh, just get on with is already!" Horace sighed.

"Shigeru said that we won't make it back to the Emperor's palace before winter sets in. No thanks to your antics with the bridge…" Halt said proding at the young knight. He knew that Horace had to cut down the bridge, but that didn't mean that he couldn't give him a little hassle for it.

"If I didn't cut down the bridge, there was no way that we could have outran Arisaka, and none of us would be here right now." Horace said as he raised his chin in the air, making him look, at least to him, distinguished. "I thought it was a good idea and that I executed it perfectly."

"Well, either way," Will began dismissing the air of humor, "Shigeru thinks that we should be extra vigil and really try harder to bring in food when we go hunting. It felt to me like he wanted us to keep watch for something special, don't you think Halt?"

"I think you might be right Will. There was definitely something he wasn't telling us, but he wanted us to know none the less." Halt said pulling on his beard. "I think we should set our own watch schedule, and do some real hunting for ourselves… If you catch my drift." He said looking at Will.

"I know exactly what you mean. Make sure you put on a cup of coffee back at camp, it's going to be a long night. I think we should go hunting at first light too."

"Exactly what I was thinking. I'll take first watch, and then Horace, then you Will. Selethen can be the last watch. Alyss and Cassandra do not need to be put through the stress, especially because of the stress that you two already put on them." Halt said with one of his rare laughs.

"Oh, whatever Halt. I don't need to take this." Horace said with a fake feeling of hurt.

Will decided to jog ahead of them now and get the pot of coffee brewing himself. It also gave him more time to talk to Alyss before he had to turn in for the night. He was smiling already thinking about it…

 **I promise next chapter will have some action in it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: As promised there will be some action in this chapter, as well as an enlightenment into the name of the story. I do not own the rights to any of the already existing characters. However, there will be some OC's eventually. Thanks again for the reviews! They really do make me want to write more. Well, here goes.**

Chapter 3: What Stalks in the Night

Will was running in a wide open field of tall green grass. He was chasing someone, a tall and slim blonde. He was laughing as though all of his troubles had melted away. No more harsh conditions on even harsher missions. He was finally chasing the one thing that he seemed to never have time to actually chase; the love of his life.

He had just caught up to her when he felt something poke him in the shoulder, something hard that felt like metal… That was weird he thought, he was in the middle of a grassy field, there was no metal for miles…

He violently awoke from his deep slumber to a man inches from his face. His training kicked in as to not alert the person standing over him. Then he noticed it was Horace and cursed in a sharp hiss of a whisper, "I was having a good dream you bafoon!"

"Well, sorry for waking you sleeping beauty, maybe I'll just leave the real work for the true men." Horace hissed back with an air of snarky humor.

"No, no, I wouldn't want you to fall off your high horse Horace." Will retorted while rubbing the sand from his eyes.

Will now understood that he was having a dream, and a good one if he must say so himself. But, now it was time for his watch. At least he had gotten the opportunity to get two shifts of sleep before his turn to keep an eye out for whatever it was that seemed to get the Emperor so uneasy.

Will picked up his bow and quiver that were placed right next to him for easy access in case of an emergency. Then he placed his double scabbard belt on and put both knives in their respective places. He always slept with his razor sharp saxe knife right next to his sleeping sack. It made him feel much more secure.

Now that he was geared up, Will ghosted over to a nearby tree that he had scouted out just hours before hand. It was the perfect place for him to be both comfortable, and concealed from any other people who were slinking around that night.

He climbed about three quarters up the tree and found a branch that seemed to make a natural hammock shape that was absolutely inviting to spread out on. Will had a perfect view of the vast majority of their entire camp, while simultaneously being all but invisible to any other night watchers.

Will allowed himself to listen very intently to the sounds of nature and the night. He quickly figured out what belonged in his ears, so that any other noises would stand out to him like a piano at a mandala concert. He also allowed his vision to shift from each spot and depth quickly so that he would be able to notice any movements that happened.

After about, what Will judged to be an hour he saw something. Someone had emerged from a tent. Now all of Will's senses were heightened to their full ability. His hand moved to his quiver and nocked and arrow relying on nothing but muscle memory.

" _If you do something enough times, you won't have to think about doing it when the time comes that you actually need it."_

Halt's voice rang through his ears. As usual, his old mentor was correct. He didn't make any conscious effort to nock the arrow, he simply did it and then before he knew it, there was an arrow on his bow string.

Will watched the Senshi who abandoned his tent. What is he doing? Will asked himself. Then he realized, the Senshi was relieving himself. Will closed his eyes and took some deep breaths to calm his heart rate down. At that very moment, he heard a twig snap over in the trees to his right. Without making any sudden movements, Will opened his eyes and shifted his head slowly so that no other watchers would be able to see the motion.

His eyes searched for any sign of movement. Again, an arrow was nocked without thinking. He heard a bush shake further to his right now. Whatever it was, was moving behind him and further away from camp. The sounds that it made grew faint as the culprit moved further away from camp. Will made a mental note of where the sound began and where he heard whatever it was move. He would return in the morning to search for the tracks. If he knew what was watching him and waiting for him to come down from the tree, his skin would have crawled even further up the tree than he was now…

The rest of the night passed quickly as Will awoke Selethen for his watch, and drifted back to sleep rather quickly.

In the morning Will and the rest of his group awoke with the sun. Will put a pot of coffee on the fire and enjoyed the tasteful aroma of Arridian coffee. Halt came over and sat next to his former apprentice. Will leaned over and said in a hushed voice, "We need to check something out on our way to go hunting today."

"Did you see something last night?" Halt quizzed with one eyebrow raised.

"I didn't see something so much as hear it…" Will let his voice trail off as he thought about what it could have been. It wouldn't have appeared to be a human, or if it was, they definitely weren't skilled in the art of silent movement. Thinking back, it did seem to be rather large. Will was itching to go and search for tracks.

Horace came over and poured himself a cup of coffee. He didn't like it as much as the Rangers did, but he liked how the drink woke him up and made him feel more alert.

After the group had breakfast and coffee, Selethen broke the news that he had to go back to his home country to help deal with some complications with their government. He would set out before them to try and make a port before winter came.

Will, Halt, and Horace all said their goodbyes, and then headed out to where Will had thought that he heard the noises. What he saw put some nerves to rest, but awoke others. Paw prints, they seemed to belong to some sort of dog or wolf. These were larger than any set he had ever seen in Araluen. It would appear that they would be doing some hunting after all, Will thought to himself grimly.

Further down the trail, one set of paw prints turned into two, then three. They had stumbled upon what seemed to be a pack of wolves to Will's trained eyes.

"We need to do something about these wolves before they end up hurting someone." Halt said calmly.

"I could not agree more." Will sighed as he stood from his kneeling position, and Horace nodded his agreement. "We will follow these tracks until we meet the pack?" Will asked Halt.

"That sounds like as good of an idea as any." He replied brushing off his hands. With that, they were off after the wolves.

They stopped briefly for a quick meal of dried fruits and salted pork on behalf of Horace's grumbling stomach. After that, they continued to follow the tracks. Will noticed that the tracks were getting more recent, and there was a lot more fur on the ground in clumps. Will was bent over examining some droppings for an estimated time when Halt heard it… A low guttural growl. Before they knew it, four beasts came prowling out into the clearing, fanning out in front of them. Horace turned to see three more falling in behind them. He slowly took out the sword that Shigeru gave him, he knew that he was going to need it.

One of the wolves was standing in front of all the others, it was obviously the alpha male. It was grey with bright blue eyes. Eyes that had a fierce desire to hunt, and feed. The other wolves were a mixture of black, and white. There was one female wolf that was a redish-orange color. Will thought to himself that he wished these animals would just go away and that these majestic creatures would just go back into the woods. But, he knew that that wasn't the case. They would have to be dealt with, so that they didn't hurt anyone back at camp.

Will's thoughts were interrupted by a black shadow lunging forward with his teeth showing, before he knew it, a grey shafted arrow appeared in his chest dropping it instantly. The other wolves all barked and snarled in defiance towards these strangers. A white wolf charged Horace, as a second black wolf charged him from behind. Horace killed the white wolf with ease, but was taken by surprise as the black wolf jumped on his back. Luckily, his armor held, but he couldn't find a way to shake the beast.

Will saw Horace struggling and he turned, aimed, and shot in a split second. He knew his aim was true, and the wolf fell off of Horace to the ground. Then, Will was taken over by the orange wolf. She jumped on top of him, and he barely managed to get his bow in between her jaws. Will was looking straight into her eyes, what he saw made him realize that these animals weren't like Ebony. This animal hated him, wanted nothing more than to kill him. Will couldn't hold her for much longer, he had both hands on his bow and couldn't find a way to reach for his saxe knife. Just as he was trying to think of something, he felt her body go limp. Another grey shafted arrow.

There were only two wolves left now, will threw his knife and killed another black wolf. It was just the grey wolf that was left. The alpha male that had just watched his entire pack get killed by these two legged foreigners. He picked out the short one that had fur on his face, and charged. Halt threw his bow to the side and drew his saxe. The wolf launched himself and showed his razor sharp teeth. Halt slide to the side and cut his knife on the beasts shoulder. The wolf cut a shallow bite in Halts right arm and turned back to the short and well-built man. Not feeling the cut he turned and leaped again towards his enemy. This time, Halt was ready. He ducked, rolled, and threw his throwing knife at the animal, pulling him out of the air like a bird whose wing got cut. The wolf fell with a whimper and then lay still. Halt hated that he had to do that. But he knew that the beast was not like their domesticated cousins. They were wild and would kill anything that threatened them.

Will ran over to Halt and immediately started checking him injuries. Poking and prodding at him making sure the wolf didn't get him in any vital places.

"Do you mind?" Halt said pushing his former apprentice away from him.

"I'm just making sure you're okay Halt."

"Well, I'm fine, no thanks to either of you buffoons, I didn't realize I had to kill every single one…" Halt said putting stress on the 'every single' part of his sentence.

"Will and I did our part." Horace said. His response reminded Will of a child who wanted to be recognized for his part. Will smiled at the thought.

"Whatever." Halt said wrapping his arm with a piece of his shirt that he cut off. "Well, if you two are done having tea over there, get a stick and tie this grey one to it. We need to show it to Shigeru to see if this is what was making him uneasy.

Once they got back to camp, the three of them went into Shigeru's tent with their prey. To their surprise, Shigeru was not all that happy with their kill. He was far from unhappy, but it was not the solution he was looking for.

"Halto-san, did you kill this beast?" Shigeru said. Halt could see the wheels turning inside his head.

"Yes Emperor, I did. We were surrounded by his pack and we thought that these could be the problem that you were referring to." He said as calm as ever.

"Interesting." Shigeru said as he played with his beard. The movement reminded Will of Halt. "So, Halto-san killed a grey wolf who was the alpha male of a dangerous pack that was very close to our caravan. It was not what I was hinting at in our last meaning. However, I am still grateful for your deed. From now on, I will call you 'Haiiroookami'. In your tongue it means grey wolf. You deserve this name so that all will know what you have done for them." Shigeru said with a bow to show his appreciation.

"Thank you Emperor." Halt said returning the bow. He was flattered that he finally got a name in Nihon-Ja, but he couldn't help remembering that the wolves were not what Shigeru was worried about. But, that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, he was tired.

 **I do not hate dogs, in fact, I love dogs. I'm sorry if any of you are offended by that scene, but Halt had to get the nickname somehow. Obviously, this chapter is important to the title, and had a small foreshadowing. I'm hoping to write the next chapter soon. Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.: The first of my OC will appear in this chapter. More suspense than anything else in this chapter. I hope I get accomplished what I am trying to get accomplished in this chapter. Enjoy!**

"Will….! Will….! Where are you Will?" Called the love of his life, pushing through the low lying foliage that always inhabited the forests of Araluen. Will was lying low in his cloak and was just watching her. Her blonde hair that always seemed to fall perfectly to her shoulders. The way she swept the stray piece out of the way of her face and placed it so gently behind her ear. Will had never been more in love with someone in his entire life.

"I'm over here darling!" He called pulling his hood back off his head to let his brown hair and giant grin show.

"Why do you keep disappearing on me Will?! You know I don't like being startled the way you always do!" Alyss said with a smile as she playfully slapped his arm.

"I'm sorry, I can't resist doing it." He said kissing her cheek.

"Well where are you taking me?" She said as she blushed by his sign of affection. They always had to be so proper and so sly about their relationship even though they knew that all of their friends knew about them. In their line of work, one could never be too careful.

"I told you that you'll find out when we get there." Will said taking Alyss's hand and ushering her further into the woods.

Then he felt it, a pull on his ear and a push on his shoulder…

"I swear by Gorlog's beard, if that's you Horace, I'm going to kill you." Will said obviously annoyed that Horace had ruined his perfect dream to wake him up for his watch. Then, he heard something that he hadn't expected… a yip… At first Will was wondering if he had fallen back into his dream. Then, he felt a harder tug on his ear and a louder yip. It was a dog! Will opened his eyes and moved his head as he was looking into a pair of glowing and playful orange eyes.

The pup rubbed its head against Will's and yelped again before it licked Will's nose.

"What are you doing here? Where's your mother?" Will said before he realized what had happened the day before and where he had seen those orange eyes. This must be the puppy of the reddish-orange she-wolf that had nearly taken Will's life the previous day. However, this pup's eyes were not yet tainted by the harsh life of the wild. These eyes looked like Ebony's.

The pup yipped again, and Will decided to pick it up, he found out that it was a boy puppy and his paws were actually a grey color, Will was wondering if the grey alpha wolf was the orphan pup's father. The rest of his body was mostly white with tuffs of red-orange fur showing on his chest, back, tail, and face. The reddish-orange also tipped his ears and snout, but the most significant feature of the, what will guessed to be four months old puppy, was his eyes. They glowed so prominently orange. The dim light from the camp fire illuminated them to look like glowing embers in the puppies head. That's when the name came to Will. Ember.

"What the hell is making all that noise?" Halt said ghosting into camp finally off of his watch.

"Look who I found, does he look familiar to you?" Will said as he scratched the pup's ears and playfully tapped him on the snout, getting him to playfully nip at his hands.

"That looks like the one wolf that was trying to rip your head off yesterday. Except for the grey paws." Halt said with an eyebrow raised.

"Exactly! He doesn't have a home now, I feel like it's my responsibility to take care of him. He'll die on his own out there!" Will replied with a gasp as he brought Ember into a hug.

"Let me guess, you've already named him haven't you?"

"I named him Ember for his eyes."

"Well, at least it suits him. It's not my responsibility, anyways, it's your watch." Halt said as he laid down on his bed roll.

"We need to get you to warm up to animals Halt."

"I like animals just as much as the next person, I just am not a fan of _wolves_." Halt said with extra emphasis on the word 'wolves'.

"He's going to come in handy Halt, mark my words. I'm going to train him just like Tug and Ebony." Will said in a matter of fact tone.

"Whatever you say, go and keep watch." Halt said with a firm finality to the conversation.

"Alyss would agree with me." Will breathed under his breath as he picked up his bow and quiver. At the last minute, he grabbed the horn. Selethen had made it for them, it depicted one of his countries ancient god's on it. He was a massively built man wielding a giant hammer, and striking a massive gladius sword on an anvil. There were huge pillars of fire that were blazing all around him. Will wished he could have asked Selethen more about this _Mulciber_.

Selethen had come up with the idea to give them two horns incase anything happened, they would be able to signal the others with it, and give a return signal with the second horn.

Will found a different tree this time. He took Ember with him. The pup was just small enough to fit on his shoulders as he climbed up. After he was in the tree, Ember found a branch with in eye-sight of his newly found master and fell into a deep sleep. Will was so happy that he had an animal companion, he missed Tug and Ebony. Now, at least Ember would keep him company. He already knew that this dog would be loyal without end, and would protect anyone who showed him love.

Will finally had gotten comfortable in the tree when he heard something that didn't belong in the normal noises of the wilderness. It was a scratching noise. It sounded like someone was marking a tree. Will had an eerie feeling that someone was watching him. But his cloak would conceal him from any untrained eye right? He was starting to feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The noise had stopped, he was searching the spot where it came from with his eyes when he saw it…

A black shadow dart from one tree to another.

Will brought his bow to him and nocked an arrow on it. Ember woke up and emitted a low rumble from his belly. Will looked at him and said 'no' barely audible. The dogs ears pricked up and he looked at Will with his head cocked to the side. The dog stopped emitting the sound and turned to look out into the night instead.

Will saw it again. The shadow moved from left to right, from a tree to a patch of brush. If it hadn't happened again, Will might have thought that the first time was just his mind playing tricks on him. He wished that he had Ember trained like Ebony, he could have used him in determining where and what was out there. Instead, Will decided to go down the tree himself. Will ghosted down the tree, he was used to climbing up and down trees, he did it without making a sound and as his feet hit the ground, he saw the shadow move again. Again, it was left to right, but this time it seemed to move toward him. How could this shadow see him? Will could feel his goose bumps growing. If it could see him in his cloak, he had lost one very important advantage. Will knew that he couldn't bring his bow to full draw, but he desperately wanted to. Instead, he replaced his arrow and drew his saxe knife. It would help him more than his bow if he came in close with this shadow.

There it was again, this time it was closer… Will resisted every urge in his body to take off and sprint at the shadow. Then he saw it, the shadow raised up from a crouch, it wasn't a shadow at all. It was a man. Wearing all black, and a helmet that had a dark mask. The mask was a dull silver and in the shape of a face. A hideous face with black eyes and an open mouth that had fangs protruding from it. The mask was completely void of any emotion and completely hid its wearers face.

"Who are you?" Will asked as he placed an arrow on his bow string and drew it to half draw.

"Watashi wa akumu." The shadow said, in a harsh but soft voice that made Will know that this man was not fooling around. The fact that he spoke and the mask did not move gave will that eerie feeling again.

"Why are you here?" Will questioned in a firm tone that left nothing up to interpretation, as he drew his bow all the way, touching the corner of his mouth with his fore finger.

"Korosu tame." The shadow replied as he reached with blinding speed into one of the folds in his armor for a razor sharp throwing star. Will saw the movement and immediately let loose a shot. The fact that he had to move out of the way of the star that was closing in on him with blinding speed made his shot miss the target that he was aiming for. Instead, it glanced off of the shadow's arm and came to a stop in the stump of a tree.

Will reached for the horn and blew three short sharp notes. Their made up signal for help. Instantly there were men yelling all around the camp. The shadow looked at Will and what he said made his blood run cold.

"You may have thwarted our plans tonight, but just remember, every time you get that uneasy feeling in your stomach, one of us is giving it to you. Our plan will be achieved, and there is nothing that any of you _gaijin_ can do about it." The voice was emitted from the mask, but the masks expression never changed. The purpose behind the words were clear. Someone, or some group wanted blood, and they weren't going to stop until they got it.

As quickly as the words were over, the shadow was off and running, Will went to nock another arrow when he realized that the razor sharp star that the shadow had thrown earlier was never meant to harm him. The shadow wanted to get caught, he wanted someone to confront him. He wanted his message heard. Will's bow string was severed in two by the star, and by the time Will looked up, the shadow was gone. An icy hand gripped Will's heart, how long had these shadows been watching and following them? How much did they know? Who were they? The questions rushed into Will's mind like waterfall. None of them left answered. Except one…

"I guess I found out what Shigeru was worried about now…"

 **I hoped everyone liked this chapter! Now you all know a little bit of what our friends have in store for them!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: My apologies for taking so long to update! Everything fell on me at once. I hope everyone is still interested. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 5: Chasing Shadows

"Ummmm.. Wata-shi… wa… akumoo…? Or something like that." Will said trying both to remember the shadows words and to pronounce them in the foreign language. "That's what he said to me when I asked him who he was. Then when I asked him why he was here, he said 'Korosoo…tamy…?' I'm pretty sure that was it…" Will said again, after the struggle of pronounciation.

"Ahhhhhhh… well, he either said that he was a nightmare, or a piece of dark chocolate. So I'll assume he meant nightmare." Shigeru said with a slight grin on his face. "And as for the second part, I think by your… translation, he meant that he was here to kill." Shigeru softly remarked, almost to himself.

"So now the question is, who are these 'nightmares' who want 'to kill'?" Halt asked pulling on his beard.

"I think I know, but I can't exactly confirm it unless I know more." Shigeru said pulling on his rather long goatee to mimic what Halt was doing. "Unless, Chocho, did you notice anything else about the man?"

"Well…" Will began trying hard to remember. They were out the rest of the night looking for tracks to no avail. Then he remembered the sinking feeling he got when he saw the man's face, or lack thereof. "He wore a mask that had a gruesome face with fangs showing from the mouth. It was a dull silver color." Will said after his pause.

"That's what I was afraid of…" Shigeru trailed off the rest of his sentence then turned around and folded his hands into the opposite sleeve on the other arm.

"Afraid of what?" Horace butted in.

"These shadows are more dangerous than Arisaka's men. They call themselves the Kagenoha, or Shadow Blades, when translated into the common tongue. They were once Senshi just like the rest of the great warriors of Nihon-Ja. However, these men were skilled in the art of silent killing, as well as one on one, open confrontation. They rebelled against my grandfather, and killed him in his sleep when I was very young. After that, their leader was found and killed. Now, they wear those masks so that none of them can be identified. And, you never know if their numbers actually fade. It's rare to see more than one at a time." Shigeru said in a calm tone. But Will and Halt could both detect the nerves that Shigeru was feeling.

"Well, does that sound familiar to you Will?" Halt said with one eyebrow raised.

"It sounds sort of like a Ranger…" Will answered thumbing his chin.

"My thoughts exactly." Halt replied.

"Now, the question is, what do we do about them?" Will asked. "Obviously we need to set up more guards and sentries around the clock for Shigeru."

"Why do you ask the question if you already have an answer?" Halt said with a glare at his former apprentice.

"Well, obviously we need to do that. But we have to try and capture one of these shadow blades." Will said purposely ignoring Halt's glare.

"I agree with both plans. Shigeru is the number one priority. Will, you and I… Would stop petting that dog of yours for one second!?" Halt raised his voice at Will, who was currently bent over scratching Ember's ears. Ember and Will had become inseparable since the other night, and Ember already knew a few Ranger signs, like still, quiet, and alert. The pup was young enough that his brain was easy to mold around commands, but old enough to retain them. It was perfect in Will's eyes.

"I was listening. And 'that dog' has a name. It's Ember remember?" Will said in his usual playful tone.

"Whatever, just pay attention, as I was saying, Will and I will set up our own tree spots on either side of camp looking in. This way, if they try and come back tonight, hopefully they will go by us and Will or I will be able to see their silhouettes in front of the camp. Then, we will show them how shadow-like we can be." Halt said with the traces of his wolf like grin.

"Okay Haiiroookami. I promote you to my strategist. I trust you with my life." The emperor said with a bow.

"None of us will let you down Emperor." Halt said as he turned to walk back to his own campsite. Then he stopped and turned back. "Oh, and Kurokuma will sleep in your tent with you Emperor. Horace is one of the best swordsmen I know of, and I will feel much better if he is personally protecting you." Halt said in a tone that had such confidence and authority that not even Duncan himself would have said no.

"As long as he saves some food for me, I don't mind." Shigeru said with a great big belly laugh.

"Ha ha very funny…" Horace said with a fake hurt look on his face.

Then Halt and Will turned and walked out of the tent to go and get ready for tonight. Will had a bow to string.

"STOP IT! YOU'RE KILLING ME!" Alyss screamed.

"Come here Ember!" Evanlyn called after the young orange pup who was currently standing on top of Alyss and licking her face relentlessly and yipping at her as she screamed in between laughs.

Ember, hearing his name called, came running at Evanlyn and leaped at her. She wasn't prepared for the weight of the young fiery wolf pup, and she went to the ground with a thud.

"Oh my, you're a heavy boy!" Evanlyn exclaimed after she caught her breath and stopped laughing. Ember had so much energy these past couple of days because Will was scared to take him with him at night because of the threat from these Shadow Blades.

So far, neither Halt nor Will had seen anything throughout the week of surveying. They were trying to mix up the angle from which they watch the camp each night to not fall into a pattern. The men they were facing were very skilled in the same type of unseen movement as they were. Will was sure that the nigh the saw the masked man, that the shadow had made noise on purpose to get him to move from the tree. Next time, Will would not be so stupid.

Will swooped over and picked up Ember, not as easy as a task that it was when Ember was first with them. It was amazing how fast he was growing into one of those big wolves that Will, Halt and Horace had fought. But, at least he was showing absolutely no sign of aggression towards Will or any of his friends. Nothing was more important to Will than that. It was a complete blessing to have the dog be able to learn his Ranger commands and signal too.

"Are you making trouble boy?" Will said with a light and playful tone. He was answered with a yip from the fiery pup, as if to say, _Ya Dad!_ Now Will realized that it wasn't only Tug that he enjoyed talking to, it was pretty much every animal that he'd ever met.

"He's a rambunctious little guy isn't he?" Alyss said as she scratch Ember in between his ears. He licked her hand as if to say thanks.

"It's like he really knows what you're saying." Evanlyn said as she took his head in her hands and put their foreheads together so that she could look right into his eyes. "His eyes look like they're on fire. It's like they see right into your soul and can tell all of your secrets." Evanlyn said as she looked up at Will and Alyss who were holding hands.

"That's why I named him Ember. His eyes look like embers. He's a really good boy. I'm thinking about taking him with me tonight." Will replied.

"Oh no Will, please let him stay with me. I like to cuddle him when I sleep. He's so warm." Alyss said as she pulled Will's hand ever so slightly. Will had wished that he could be the one holding her while she slept. Ember put a new spin on the phrase, 'lucky dog' Will thought. He could just picture it now. Will laying on his back, and Alyss's head on his chest. He'd gently twirl his finger in her hair, and caress the side of her head. He wished that he could do that instead of spending another restless night in the tree. "Will?" Alyss asked again, breaking through his day dream. It seemed like that is the only thing that has been happening to him the last few weeks.

"Okay Alyss, Ember can stay with you again tonight. But I'm going to need him eventually." Will replied with a smile that showed her that he was just stating a fact, not meaning anything else by it.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Alyss said as she completely let down her courier trained poise, and jumped on Will squeezing his neck. Will loved when she let down her courier guard around him. It made him feel like she trusted him. Little, did he know, that she felt the same way about him when he let down his Ranger guard.

Alyss finally let go of the hug, with a little bit of embarrassment that she did let down guard. She scooped up Ember and ran off to get a stick to play fetch. Will was starring after her when Evanlyn purposely bumped into him.

"You're going to ask her right? You both are very terrible at hiding it, you know?" She said ginning at Will through her hand.

"Of course I will… I just am waiting for the right time." Will replied kicking a rock in the grass. He always felt like a child whenever he talked with Evanlyn about it. She always pestered him about it. How did girls always seem to just know about these things? It was a question that always baffled Will.

"Well you better, a girl like her doesn't come around very often you know." Evanlyn said as she turned and walked towards camp.

"I know." Will replied.

"I know."

 **I hope you all liked this chapter. Another set up for something big I'm cooking up. Once again, sorry for taking so long!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I hope last chapter was good. I also really hope that you all like Ember. I really like the dynamic of Will and a dog. Last chapter set up some more things, rather subtly I might add, so see if you can spot them in this chapter. Enjoy.**

Chapter 6: Bad Decisions

"Are you ready Will?" Halt whispered, as he strung his bow.

"Yes. So are we trading spots tonight? Or just moving?" Will asked as he strung his bow and tested the draw to make sure that the string was held securely in its notches. He was answered with nothing but a raised, salt and peppered eyebrow. "Just answer the question Halt." He said with a defeated slump of his shoulders. He hadn't gotten enough sleep these last couple of weeks to play this game at this time of night.

"Well, what got into your coffee?" Halt asked with a flash of a smile. He lived for keeping his former apprentices on their toes. "I was thinking that we should swap positions. That way we can avoid our eyes seeing getting used to the same spots and risk missing minor details." Halt said with a tone that invited Will to give his opinion on the matter.

"I don't know Halt, are you sure? What if they've been watching us this whole time? That could prove deadly if we get up in the same tree that the other has gotten up in before…" Will couldn't help but remember when he and Halt were in Picta and were tracking the two Genovesans through the forests and they both shot at the same one instead of each shooting one. That bad decision that Halt and Will made had led to Halt getting shot by one of the poisoned crossbow bolts that the Genovesans championed. Will almost lost the person that he looked up to as a father. He would do anything to make sure that nothing would happen to him this time.

"Will, nothing is going to happen to either of us." Halt said as he placed a hand on Will's shoulder. Will was like a son to him, but he also knew that he was like a father to Will. "Tonight is going to be just like every other night Will. We are Rangers of Araluen, these Shadow Blades have never met an opponent like us. We've faced countless threats and we always pull through. Nothing will be any different about this one." Halt said with a reassuring tone.

"Thanks Halt. You've always been the constant in my life. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Will said as he set off to his side of the camp for watch.

"If only I believed my words. Be safe, son."

Halt walked out past the fire line, his senses were already at the state of heightened awareness. His eyes were shifting from left to right, far to close, constantly moving. His years of practice and countless hours in the field allowed him to do this without a thought. It was a brisk night. Halt could see his breath, his bones felt like they were creaking and cracking to alert anyone within a mile radius.

Halt found a tree, it was rather large. He climbed up the tree until he was about three quarters up. He found a spot that seemed to form a natural hammock shape. "How convenient." Halt said with a sigh as he stretched out on the branch. Halt waited and watched for what seemed to be hours. Even for him, the lack of sleep was starting to get to him. He made a mental note to tell Crowley that they had to add a "lack of sleep" test to the training. It would definitely come in handy for new apprentices.

 _*CRACK*_

Halt heard a huge branch snap off to his right away from camp and somewhat behind him. He resisted the urge to swing his head around the tree and look. His training and years of experience have taught himbetter. He calmly inched his head around the tree. Making sure to barely move at all. Then, he had a tingle crawl up his spine. When asked later about what made him do it, he would not be able to answer. But, he jerked his head back behind the tree and a split second later he heard something get sent right where his head had been. In his quick glimpse of the object, it appeared to be similar to the striker that every Ranger carried.

"Damn it, how could you be so stupid?" Halt said to himself. He reached down to the horn around his neck and blew three loud ascending notes. Hopefully its counterpart would answer.

Will's face went white. Three ascending notes rang through the air. His worst fears came true, Halt was in trouble. He would have to try and keep his promise to Lady Pauline again. Will reached down and grabbed the horn that was around his neck and answered with three descending notes.

Now, Will had to be extra careful. If he raced over to quickly which was what every fiber in his body was telling him to do, the consequences would be dire if they had someone waiting for him too. Will would not fall into their trap. He ghosted down the tree and took full stock of the situation. That's when he saw it, another shadow.This meeting would belong to him.

Will knocked, sighted, drew, and shot before the shadow even saw him. Will heard the shot hit its mark with a grunt from the shadow. He ran over to the downed enemy, his shot had hit the man right in the area between where the chest plate and shoulder cap met. It was a perfect shot that would injure but not kill him. Will knocked him out with his strikers and would return to question him later.

Will ran through the camp and into the Emperors tent to get Horace. He had already gotten his chain mail on and was buckling his sword onto his hip. Will could always count on Horace when he needed him. Will called to eight Senshi and told them to stand guard around Shigeru. He also got Alyss and Evanlyn and made sure they were safe in the Emperors tent.

Ember would come with him.

"Will where the devil are you?" Halt cursed as he ducked behind a tree, narrowly escaping one of those deadly stars.

Halt rolled out from behind cover, and let out a flurry of three arrows at blinding speed. There were four shadows all closing in on him. Halt could see the dull glint of their masks in the fire light of camp when they broke from cover to cover. Halt managed to hit two of the three that he was aiming at with his last volley. The problem was that they were closing in on him and soon, his bow would not do him any good. He ducked behind cover after his shots and heard more stars bite into the trunk of the tree he was behind.

Halt took a deep breath to regain his nerves, and then sprung out from behind the tree to unleash another hail of arrows. He let two arrows loose and saw one of them take a Shadow Blade in the arm. The man dropped the star that he was about to throw at the cloaked figure that had blinding speed with his bow. The die was cast however, that shadow was only a distraction. Halt had failed to see the second masked figure that had gone behind to flank him. Halt was getting ready to turn and look for the second shadow when he felt it.

Sheer blinding pain shot through Halt's left forearm. He looked down to see one of those throwing stars had bit into his flesh in between his elbow and wrist. Halt pulled out the steel star and drew his two knives. He could not believe his eyes when he saw three figures appear from the shadows. A cold chill ran up his spine.

"Maybe we've bit off more than we can chew…" Halt said as he raised the horn and again sounded the three notes. At that, he let the horn fall, and prepared for their attacks. Each one of the masked shadows had a katana. Although they looked smaller than the ones that Shigeru's Senshi fashioned. Then Halt saw the second one that all of the men had on their hips. He guessed that it all depended upon the opponent. They must had seen his speed with the bow and thought that the two handed sword would be slow and possibly ineffective. Halt was determined to make the short swords ineffective as well. He wasn't going to die without taking at least one of these menaces with him.

The first attack came as all three attacked in unison. Again, Halt was wrong in his assumptions that they would play by the same rules as the Senshi who attacked one on one as a sign of honor.

The first man came forward with an over hand strike that Halt blocked with the two knife defense. Halt gave that man an elbow to the ribs as he parried a second thrust and deflected a third side strike from the last opponent.

These men had blinding speed just like he did. He needed Will's help. He wouldn't last long against these men. Now, two backed off and let the first man do single combat with him. Halt was wondering if that was a good or bad sign when the man attacked. Each attack was a swift deliberate movement that came with blinding speed and seemed to flow right into the next strike. It was like fighting a whip. The form was simultaneously fluid and choppy. It took all of Halt's concentration to block the strikes. Overhand, side arm, thrust, then a stroke that Halt had rarely seen, a quick upwards arcing attack that seemed to come from the man's arms acting as a sort of scale. One looked to push down on the sword as the other pulled the opposite end of the handle up. It combined to turn into a stroke that came from the ground with such speed and force that Halt almost could not deflect it. Then, as soon as that stroke was over another overhand stroke was aimed at Halt's head. Halt blocked that stroke and locked weapons with the man. Using his leverage, Halt got in close and kneed the warrior in the mid-section. He felt a rib give as he dislocated it with the force behind his stocky leg. That gave Halt the split second to catch his breath before he felt a slight prick in his neck.

"What the hell was that?" Halt said as he reached to the spot where he felt the dull pain. There was a small dart with a feather on the end of it.

"Damn…"

He looked at one of the two who had backed off. He was replacing a tube that no doubt was used to shoot the dart at him. Halt remembered seeing the Genovesans carrying something similar. But from what he learned about the darts they used, the victim would already be foaming at the mouth and well on their way to dying. This seemed to be different. He just felt somewhat foggy.

Then another attack came. Halt snapped out of the fog for a brief second as he deflected blow after blow. He was sweating profusely when the attacker finally backed away. That's when Halt realized, again to late, that the attacker was just trying to get his heart to pump the sleep toxin into his blood stream faster.

"Well… played…" Halt groaned as he slumped over and fell face first onto the dew ridden grass as the darkness took him.

He had failed everyone.

He had failed Will.

 **I know this chapter jumped around a bit but obviously now you can see where Will and Halt went wrong. And all of the** _ **Bad Decisions**_ **they made as the title of this chapter alluded to. Have our friends bit off more than they can chew? What do the shadows have in store for Halt? We will have to wait and see !**


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